Courtney C. Radsch

CPJ Advocacy Director Courtney C. Radsch, PhD, is a journalist, researcher, and free expression advocate. She previously worked for UNESCO's Section for Freedom of Expression and as senior program manager for the Global Freedom of Expression Campaign at Freedom House, where she led advocacy missions to more than a dozen countries. She has also worked for Al-Arabiya in Dubai, the Daily Star in Lebanon, and The New York Times. Follow her on Twitter @courtneyr.

Mass surveillance and the bulk collection of metadata by the U.S. government pose serious threats to journalists in the U.S. and around the world, which is why the Committee to Protect Journalists today joined a wide coalition of privacy, human rights, technology, and trade groups calling on Congress and the Obama Administration to include certain elements in U.S. surveillance reform.

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In an effort to counter extremists and militant groups who use a mix of violence and social media to spread their message, a summit was held in Washington, D.C. this week to discuss how to counter violent extremism. While there is little denying that these groups must be tackled, an approach must be found that will not justify restricting the press.

After a series of high-level meetings to discuss press freedom concerns with Egyptian officials in Cairo this week, it was heartening to hear that journalists Mohamed Fadel Fahmy and Baher Mohamed had been granted bail after more than 400 days in prison.

In 2009, the sketch comedian Jason Jones traveled to Iran to interviewNewsweek reporter Maziar Bahari for "The Daily Show" with Jon Stewart. Shortly after the disputed June 12 elections, the series of reports aired amid a brutal crackdown on Iranian journalists and the opposition. Bahari was among those arrested. Among the "evidence" presented by his interrogators--one of whom smelled like rosewater--was his interview with the fake news show, which they claimed was proof he had spoken with an American spy. When they could not get those charges to stick they made up a new one: "media espionage."

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This month, the prosecutor-general of Kyrgyzstan, Aida Salyanova, told the Committee to Protect Journalists that her office is working hard to fight corruption and ensure transparency in government activities.

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Egypt's newly elected leader, Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi, will
have to face many challenges as president, including the real crisis that
confronts freedom of the press in the country. Things were never good
for the press in Egypt, but they have worsened
significantly since former President Mohamed Morsi was ousted last summer. As CPJ
wrote in a letter
before the election to el-Sisi and his now defeated opponent, Hamdeen Sabahi,
at least six journalists have been killed since Morsi's ouster and
16 journalists are currently imprisoned.
Dozens more have been detained and released, creating a climate of fear and
repression that has dampened the ability of journalists to cover political
developments and the most recent election.

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Late in 2013, the United Nations General Assembly adopted
resolution 68/163 on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity, in an
effort to stem the killings of journalists
and ensure that perpetrators of deadly violence against journalists are brought to justice. The
resolution was a recognition that it has never been a
more dangerous time to be a journalist, and that states have a
responsibility to take action.